#980: Chs. 31-32, Bk. 5, Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Against Heresies continues, with more of St. Irenaeus’ fascinating discussion of the end of the world and the world to come. In these chapters, he defends the resurrection of the dead as a real coming event, not some kind of pretty allegory.

During the course of these last few chapters, it becomes obvious that Irenaeus was a major influence on the Four Last Things as portrayed by C.S. Lewis — or at least, somebody influenced by Irenaeus was. Obviously it’s no secret that Lewis read a lot of theology, but it’s kinda neat to spot this kind of stuff. It’s like picking up a book at the used book store and seeing notes scribbled in the margins in an old friend’s hand.